Compensating sighting instrument



March 4, 1924. 1,485,785

R.KAUCH COMPENSATING- SIGHTING INSTRUMENT Filed may 15. I922 o I 15o W MM/Jg Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

- the bracket ,UNITED STATES 1,485,785 PATENT OFFICE.

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OOHPENSATING SIGHTING INSTRUMENT.

Application fled Kay 18, 1922. Serial No. 580,701.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnn'r KAUCH, a citizen of the United 'States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Sighting Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to a sighting instrument adapted to compensate for the speed of a moving target by leading the target b the line of sight the correct amount or any given ran e.

The apparatus hereinaf ter described is articular y applicable to fixed gun instalations of airp ance in which the aiming of the n or guns is accomplished by the steering of the air lane, but it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise em loyed and embodied without departin mm the spirit and scope thereof.

Int e following specification the invention is described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the invention associated with the r-udder bar of an airplane.

Figure 2 is a detail section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 the telescope is shown partly in broken lines in order to disclose the compensating mechanism located below it. The telescope or sighting device is intermediately pivoted by trunnions 11 rojecting' therefrom and rotatably mounts in a suitable support (not shown) preferably forming a part of the fuselage. Toward its objective end the outer casing of the telescope is formed with an elongated slot 13 in which a pin 14 projecting upwardly from a rack 15 is slidably mounted. The rack 15 is, in turn, slidably mounted on a bracket 16 which is pivoted on a stud 17 journalled in a sup ort 18 A pinion 19 mes ing with the rack 15 1S rotatably mounted on a pin 20 projectin from the upper surface of bracket 16 an this pinion carries a gear sector 21, inte al therewith. Aroller 22 mounted on a stu on bracket 16 maintains the rack in en gement with the pinion 19. The left han side of 16, as shown in F1 are 1, is provided with a rectangular en argement 23 having a lightening hole 24 therein. Bowden wires 25, 26 are provided with end connections 27, 28 respectively, which are pivotally connected to this rectangi ilhar enargement as indicated at 29, 30. e corresponding inner ends of the inner transmitting member of the Bowden wires 25, 26 are connected res ectively to the sector 21 and to the rack 15 w liile the outer ends thereof are connected to a Bowden control lever 31 and the indicator 32 of a ran indicating device 33. The wire pre erabl enters a casing 34 which is attached to t e control stick 35 or otherwise arranged within convenient reach of the aviator. A rudder bar 36 pivoted as indicated at 37 is connected at opposite sides of its pivot to the o positely projecting arms 38, 39 of the brac at 16 at equal distances from the axis of rotation thereof, b means of the Bowden wires 40 to the en s of which are fastened clips 41, 42 which are respectively pivotally connected to the bracket 16 and rudder bar 36 by pins 43, 44.

In 0 eration, the range of the target; is found y any suitable ran e finding instrument and this range is lai oil on the indicating device 33 by actuating the lever 31 in the roper direction. Motion is transmitted i rom this lever, to Bowden wire 25, thence to the gear sector 21, pinion 19, rack 15, and Bowden wire 26 to the indicator 32. The pinion 19 is rotated and moves the pin 14 in the slot 13 of the telescope. Now the rudder bar is moved so that the airplane and guns carried thereby followthe tar t as viewed through the telescope 10. e movements of the rack place t e pin 14 at various ositions in the slot 13 in accordance wit the range of the target thereby chan ing the distance from the in crum 11 of t e telescope to the axis of said in. Etiual angular motions of the rudder ar wil therefore impart different angular movements to the telescope depending upon the position of the pin in the slot 13 which automatically compensates for the speed of the target in relation to the airplane at the given range.

I claim:- 1. The combination with the rudder bar of an aircraft, of a sighting device, and means connecting the rudder bar and sighting device, said means including compensating mechanism for varying the angular relation between the movementsof said rudder bar and the corresponding movements of said si hting device. 7

2. Tile combination with the rudder bar of an aircrafti of a pivoted telescope having a longitudina slot in the casing thereof, a pin on ging in said slot, means connected to sai rud or bar adapted to swing said pin so as to move the telescope pivotally and means for positioning said pin in soon ance with the of the tar t.

8. The comfiination wit the rudder bar of an aircraft, of a pivotally mounted telescope having a longitudinal slot in the easthereof, a pivoted bracket, a rack slidab y mounted on said bracket andcarrying a pin adapted to engage in said slot, means connectin said bracket and rudder bar whereby t e in movements of the latter are'impa to the former, and means associated with said rack for positioning said pin in said slot in accordance with the range of the target.

4. In an airplane having a fixed gun installation, a sighting device means for directing the air lane toward the tar t through said sig tingwdevice, and mec anism connectin said means and sightin device whereby t me n installation is aimed at the correct ang e to compensate for-the speed and range of the target.

5. The combination with the rudder bar of an aircraft, of a pivoted bracket'ada ted to be rotated and maintained in paralle relation thereto, a si hting device, mechanism connecting saif bracket and sighting device and means for varying the: position of said mechanism in accordance with the range of the target.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT KAUCH. 

